Resignation good for Boehner poll numbers, Gallup says

Posted: 3:47 pm Thursday, October 15th, 2015

By Staff Writer

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Since announcing he would resign as U.S. House Speaker, Republican John Boehner has seen an improvement in his poll numbers. According to Gallup, 31 percent of Americans now have a favorable opinion of Boehner, up from 23 percent in August. It marks his best numbers since April 2014.

Boehner announced last month that he would step down at the end of October as speaker and resign his 8th District Congressional seat. Boehner has since agreed to stay on until Republicans elect a new speaker.

Boehner was first elected to Congress in 1990 and became speaker in 2011. His low favorability rating isn’t surprising, given he has been heading up an unpopular institution. During his speakership, Boehner has been pulled to the right by hard core conservatives in his caucus.

Gallup pollsters said Boehner’s ratings have typically been more negative than positive, which is not unusual for speakers. Gallup found that Democrats and Independents view Boehner more favorably since his announcement while Republicans’ views of him are largely unchanged.

And two-thirds of Americans don’t believe changing speakers will make much difference in helping the GOP pass bills it favors, the poll found.